Stump sock



May 28,1940. F. o. PETERSON STUMP SOCK Filed May 29, 1936' INVENTOR. jaw/2% d [DZ/97170 Ada/7 ATTORNEY.

Patented May 28, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STUMP SOCK FrankO. Peterson, Detroit, Mich. Application May 29, 1936, Serial No. 82,583 1 Claim. (or s-a) This invention relates to stump socks used with artificial limbs and has as one of its principal objects to provide an improved padding between the stump and the walls of its socket in the artificial limb. More particularly, it is an object of the present invention to provide padding in the formof a stump sock whose Weight and thickness varies in. such a manner as to provide a differential amount of padding '10 over the different weight bearing surfaces of the stump and to =secure the best distribution of pressure on thestump; both when the amputee is standing and-when he is walking.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter become more fully apparent as reference is had to the accompanying drawing, in which: a

Figure '1 is a side view, partially broken away and partly in section, of an artificial limb and a sump sock embodying my invention as fitted to a leg amputated below the knee.

Figure ,2 is a view of the sock shown in Figure 1,,partly broken away and in section.

Figure 3 is'a view of another sock embodying my invention. 5 Figure 4 is a perspective View of the upper portion of an artificial limb and a stump sock embodying my invention as fitted to a leg amputated above the knee.

- Figure 5 is a View of the sock shown in Figure 4, partially broken away and in section.

In the fitting of artificial limbs, careful provision must be made for transferring the weight of the amputee from the leg or other part of the body to the artificial limb. Very few amputa- 5 tion stumps (namely, those resulting from Gritti- Stokes or Syme amputations) are capable of sustaining the entire body weight by direct end pressure. Use is made, therefore, of certain bony prominences, the tuberosity of the ischium in the cases of thigh amputations, and the shelving undersurfaces of the tuberosities of the tibia in cases of below the knee amputations. The tuberosity of the ischium (that part of the pelvis upon which one sits) is ideally adapted for weight bearing, that being one of its normal functions, so that a thigh leg is easier to fit than'a below the knee leg.

In the case of at below the knee leg, the socket H1 is carefully carved from willow wood to fit the stump ll so as to exert different pressures on different areas of the surface of the stump II, according to the abilities of those areas to carry the weight of the amputee, and a thigh corset I2 is provided to transfer a small part of the weight directly to the thigh 13. The thigh corset l2, generally made of leather and with a lacing [4 in front for adjustment, is provided with steel stays I5 secured to it on each side and pivoted at the knee to similar steel stays v L6 secured to the socket I0. The-greatest pres- 5 sure is exerted at the upper part 10a of the socket, where the greater part of the weight is received from the tuberosities or muscle attaching surfaces on the downwardly converging sides of the head of the tibia or lower-leg bone. The '10 lower part of the stump H and the part of the thigh l3 within the corset l2 are subject to considerably less pressure than the part just below the knee l8. I Prior to by invention, it has been the practice 16 to provide a uniform amount of padding, in the form of one or more evenly knitted'stump socks, between the surface of the stumpand the supporting surfaces of the socket and thigh corset. With a conventional stump sock of uniform 20 .weight, the portion of the sock just belowthe knee, where the pressure is greatest, is compressed to perhaps half of the thickness of the sock .at other points. Thus the thickness and cushioning effect of the padding is least exactly 5 where the pressureis greatest. If the proper amount of padding is provided just below the knee where the weight of the amputee is almost entirely carried there is so much padding everywhere else. 30 7 Then, as the stump shrinkswith time, it is the practice, especially among the poor people to whom the cost of a new socket would be an appreciable financial burden, to compensate for the shrinkage in the stump by increasing the 35 thickness of the padding placed between it and the socket. This is generally done by wearing 'more than one stump sock and sometimes as many as six 'or eight. This procedure is unsatisfactory because, while it secures a tolerable 40 fit for the bearing portion of the stump just below the knee, it provides a great excess of pad ding below the weight bearing area and under the thigh corset. This results in greater pressure on the lower part of the stump than is de- 45 fat) Snaps 30 are provided, as in the first described weight and Whose intermediate portion I9b is made with a thread of double weight. The intermediate portion I92) is positioned so as to extend from just above the rim of the socket ID to a point about four inches below the rim, thus covering the portion of the stump H where most of the weight is carried. If desired, the top l9d of the sock may be provided with snaps 20 or other fastening means so that it can be turned down over and secured to the top of the corset 12. This prevents the sock 19 from working down between the thigh 13' and the corset l2 when the amputee is walking.

A further refinement, contributing materially to the comfort of the amputee is the provision of a soft nap 21 in the lower portions of the sock, the nap being created by a process similar to that used in making blankets.

When used with a stump that has shrunk so that the socket of the leg is too large, my invention comprises a stump sock made as shown in Figure 3 with the portions intended to form the padding in the socket thicker than for a perfectly fitting leg. The sock shown in Figure 3 as an example comprises portions of four difierent weights or thicknesses. The end .24 of the sock, which merely covers the end of the stump, is knit with a thread of single weight. The sectionv 26 of the sock near the end is knit with a thread of double weight and serves as padding for the lower part of the stump. The part El of the sock which fits around the stump just below the knee is knit with a thread of quadruple weight and is joined to the double weight portion by a short section. 28 knit with thread of triple weight to avoid a sudden change in thickness. The upper part 29 of the sock which fits under the thigh corset, is of single weight thread, shrinkage of that part of the stump being generally takencare of by adjusting the corset.

embodiment, for securing the top of the sock to the thigh corset. I

A third embodiment of my invention, is shown in Figures 4 and'5 and comprises a sock for a leg amputated above the knee.' In this case, the socket 35 for the thigh is supported from ajbelt 36 by a short link 3'5 pivoted at both ends. The

sock 38 resembles those described above in hav its creeping down. To allow the edge of the sock 35 to be turned down at each side of the link 31, the sock is knitted with a notch 39 which embraces the link 31 as shown.

While I have described and illustrated only three of the preferred forms, the invention, as defined in the claim, is broader in scope and is applicable as well to stump socks for amputated arms and for disarticulatedlimbs. I In such cases, the heavy portion of the sock is located Whereever desirable, the exact location being easily determined in each case by the skilled prothesist.

What I claimis: 1 l

The combination of a corset and a stump sock adapted to be worn on a stump, said'sock have ing a lightweight lower portion for engaging the end of the stump, a lightweight comparatively thin upper portion for extending beneath said' 

